And Then We Kiss
by KahneCrescent
Summary: Zero finds himself confused and lost. He's now the human slave of Kaname, once partnered with a now dead Aidou. Ichiru is alive somewhere, tortured when others act out. Zero must find him before it's too late. KanamexZero. Lemons, rape, brief twincest.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay, I've heard it from enough people; some who aren't even on FFnet... I get it, you want more! So, I've decided to be generous and put up a what _was_ going to be a few bonus chapters for _Two Heartbeats_, but is now going to become a series all on its own! So, introducing the

**xXXx**

**And Then We Kiss**

_**Chapter One**_

Running, hard and fast against the winter winds that surged forward to knock me off my feet. My breathing was laboured and it hurt, but I forced myself to do it anyway; I was in pain. I couldn't tell exactly where from, but from _somewhere_, I bled and it felt disgusting. The blood would freeze to my body almost as soon as it could exit, weighing me down. Soon, it was too much for me and I let myself fall into the knee-deep snow, having hardly the strength to pull myself back up. I sat up though, with every stitch of will left in my body concentrated on this simple action. I grasped at my throat, attempting to draw breath through the searing muscles. It was obvious that I wasn't going to last very long like this.

Footsteps behind me became frighteningly loud against the once roaring wind, and everything was silent besides. I turned, and it seemed to take an eternity. I could barely make out the blackened figure as it made its way closer, eyes glowing a bright crimson against the stark grey sky. A Vampire. For some reason I was shaking with fear, and I grasped at the loose shirt that clung to my body, wet with melted snow and sweat; I knew that it would not protect me from that beast in human form, and the thought made tears sting at the corners of my eyes.

What was wrong with me? How could I let this affect me so much?

"There you are, Zero. I was worried about you," a familiar voice sighed, nearing me even further. I realized that it was the Vampire who had been chasing me before. I tried to place the voice, but it eluded me... The Vampire stood directly behind me now, face obscured by blinding darkness. He reached out and touched my shoulder, and I tried to pull away.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed, and he began to laugh. Withdrawing his hand, he knelt behind me, taking my chin in a firm hand. I struggled to escape, but my limbs were bound by some invisible force.

"What's wrong, Zero? Don't you recognize me?" The light shifted and revealed his face. I didn't believe it. I couldn't. Why would he—? "Are you afraid of me?"

I was lost for words. My mouth fell open, but nothing came out and I just stared in shock as he smirked darkly. Finally, he kissed me hard and pulled back forcefully, my bottom lip held between his teeth. It slipped from its prison, and instantly, I reached up to feel it. He stood, dragging me to my feet as well, and pulled something out of his pocket which he fastened around my neck. A collar? "Don't forget," he said, his voice a low, venomous hiss now. "Zero, you belong to me."

I stayed silent.

"Do you understand?"

I nodded, and he frowned hard. I was slow to form words, and they came at barely a whisper. "Yes, Master."

"Perfect." He rubbed my hair and then turned to walk away. "Come along, Zero. Next time you run, I'll kill you."

Fearing death more than the Vampire, I followed, my head bent to stare at the thick snow stained with red. Very soon, the landscape would hold no recollection of this happening. The snow would fill the gaps where we stood and the world would forget what it had never seen.

The Vampire lived in a large home alone with a few maids, and he took me to that place, warmed by a roaring fire. He made me remove all my clothes at the door and wrap a towel around the injury in my side. I held the white cloth there, following him to the bath. He told me that I would repay him for the towel with something precious to me — my brother would be punished.

_ Ichiru? But he's dead..._

He summoned a maid to help me with my bath, and left. Feeling no need to wait, I climbed into the tub full of scorching water and began to wash away the cold of the snowstorm and the blood that froze to my body as a result of it. The water turned nearly black, and I laid back, resting my dizzy head. When I closed my eyes, though, it felt as if the world were shaking around me, and I was trapped in the middle of it. It was an uncomfortable feeling, and it alternated from back and forth to up and down. Slowly, I opened my heavy eyes only to find two dark brown ones staring back at me. I started violently, nearly falling out of the other side of the bathtub. The maid, who looked exactly like Yuuki for an unknown reason, laughed lightly.

"It's alright Zero, it's just me." Slowly, I sat back down in the hot water, frowning. Slowly, she withdrew a washcloth from beside her, dipping it in the water, and reached out. "May I touch you?" she asked, and when I didn't answer, she ran it along my body anyway. Whenever she did something, she asked for permission. I never answered her.

"You need to be more careful around the Master, Zero. He might lose his patience with you again... and I don't want you to suffer Aidou's fate..." Yuuki was talking about when the Master had beheaded the irreverent slave just a few nights prior. I remembered that well, because even though I was a personal slave of the Master, he made me help clean up. I didn't really mind that he had murdered Aidou — it meant that I didn't have to put up with him, and I didn't have to share our Master — but I really didn't want to suffer the same fate as he had; Yuuki was right.

She continued lecturing me on my behaviour until she was satisfied that she had covered everything and that every inch of my body was clean. Finally, she let the water down the drain, and fetched me a thick black towel, explaining that it was because of the colour of the water. I stepped out of the bathtub and allowed her to dry me, to fasten the leather collar back around my neck and shine up the silver nametag with care; currently, my wound was being stitched carefully by her skillful hands.

"You're so lucky," she told me, admiring the way my name sparkled in the light on my personalized collar "Master must really like you if he spends _this_ much money on you."

"I hate him," I said finally, prompting Yuuki to look up at me, almost in shock. She was silent, then asked me to repeat myself. "I hate him. I want to go home."

"We all do, Zero. But _this _is our home now... I thought you had accepted that. It's been almost nine years..."

I had been in servitude to _him_ for that long? And Ichiru? I asked her about him and she shook her head slowly.

"It's his own fault. If he hadn't tried to save Master's wife from her punishment it never would have happened..." And she told me nothing else. Even if she were about to, I missed it, because my name was called by a low, deep voice that nearly gave me chills. It was... Yagari-sensei?

I stepped out of the bathroom, and into a room with two queen-sized beds, made up with silk bedsheets. There was a straight path between them to the door into the hallway, and there were doors on either side of me. I stared at one of the beds, which had a gold nameplate on a cherrywood headboard bearing my name. The other bed's headboard was identical, except for a worn spot where I could tell there had been a nameplate before. But whose name used to be bolted there with their sealed fate?

"At one point it was Ichiru's," Yuuki explained just as if she had heard my thoughts. I looked down at her. "You and him used to be Master's favourites, you know? After Ichiru tried to protect the Mistress, Master had him locked away in the tower. Until recently Aidou used to sleep there... Don't you remember?"

I did. But, at the same time... I didn't. What was wrong here? What was wrong with me?

"Anyway, you had better go. If Yagari is summoning you then you probably need to get ready for Master's punishment."

"What do you mean?"

"You tried to run, Zero. That is the most unforgiveable offence that anyone can lay against the Master."


	2. Chapter 2

**And Then We Kiss**

_**Chapter Two**_

I made my way into the hallway, peeking out to see if the coast was clear. It just felt strange to be here, like someone was watching every move I made. What was this feeling about, anyway? It was the middle of the night, and Master's presence was absent. I didn't have to watch my back now. I didn't have to be scared. I tried to keep that in mind as I headed for the stairs which headed into a large, elegant entrance hall. The floors were black and white marble, the walls a dark maroon. The curtains that covered the windows were black lace, hiding the sight of the raging snowstorm beyond from the eyes of the residents here. I stepped down onto the landing that overlooked the whole room and sighed. It was eerily silent in the gothic-style entrance hall, as I noticed it was in the rest of the home.

Suddenly, however, a sound pervaded the air, ringing in my ears. Clicking. Faint at first, then slowly louder and louder, coming my way. I turned to the flight of stairs behind me, expecting to look up into two glittering acidic rubies and tensed instictively, coiling to spring away to safety... But the man who stood there took me by surprize. I relaxed and released the breath I didn't know I had been holding. It was Yagari. Or was it? Jet black hair was combed out, kept sleek and shiny, hanging long enough to brush his shoulder blades. His face bore only one scar, though it was clearly being treated to keep from twisting up and becoming ugly. Two eyes the colour of washed out denim stared down on me, hard and dispassionate as they had always been. Two. Both of them.

"What are you staring for, kid?"

I blinked now, realizing that I had frozen at the sight. My eyes stung at the pleasure of being coated in liquid once again, and I rubbed them. "This is unreal."

"What? You find me appalling?" Yagari stepped down onto the landing with me, an eyebrow raised as his frown deepened. I stumbled to find an answer, but he waved it off, shaking his head. "We shouldn't keep the Master waiting."

"Right. So..." I looked around the room, wondering where exactly I was to meet him. Yagari made no move. "Where are we headed?"

"We're waiting for someone first."

There was a long silence now where I shuffled my feet out of boredom, examining the room once again. One portrait that hung on the wall depicted Master and a woman who I guessed was his wife — a beautiful woman with flowing platinum hair and peircing powder pink eyes. My mouth dropped open, and I couldn't contain it. "_Shizuka_? He married _her_?" I turned an unbelieving look on Yagari, and he rolled his eyes. "She's twice his age; what a cougar..."

"Master has been married to Mistress Shizuka for years, Zero. We all just accepted it and moved on. In fact, she's almost considered pleasant company around here. You just can't stand her for taking Ichiru from you."

I felt a jolt of pain at my brother's name, and turned back to look at the portrait. Yes, she had taken Ichiru from me; but she had also taken my humanity. It was unfair that she had taken both of the things that were so important to me in one fell swoop, and it was unfair that wherever Ichiru was now, he was most likely suffering. I turned my gaze from the painting to one next to it. That one depicted myself, a few years younger, and the Master. His strong arms were wrapped around my body, mine around his neck. We appeared quite companionable, and it disgusted me now, though at the same time my heart pounded in my chest.

"You probably don't remember, but there was a time when you loved him," Yagari told me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I gave him a hard look, barely rivalling his own, but he ignored it. His gaze was fixed on the stairs where he and I had both entered from. There was no one there, but soon the sound of footsteps rose up, and a familiar blonde appeared.

I didn't recogize him at first, but I knew he was a Night Class member... Or had been. Exactly how and when we had all come to this mansion was uncertain to me. We obviously hadn't always been here. Yuuki had told me it had been nine years since our arrival. Nine years would put me at eight years old, which would mean that... That my parents were still alive somewhere. Perhaps Master's marriage to Mistress Shizuka had stopped her from going on a mad rampage and killing them... Which would mean that she also hadn't been there to...

I ignored the Vampire at the top of the stairs and lunged past him, headed back to my own room while Yagari called after me, then followed. I didn't stop until I was back in the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror. I examined myself. I looked the same as I had before... Same silver hair, same lavender eyes, same pale skin. I had always had this hauntingly vampiric look to me... I touched the mirror, trying almost to caress my own face through the cold glass. I was the same... I bit my lip, almost expecting it to pierce the flesh, thought there was nothing but a dull pain. I pulled back my lip to examine my canine, then switched to the other... By this time, Yagari had caught up with me, and he watched me in my fascination.

"You're not a Vampire, Zero. There's no reason to look at your teeth like that. Or have you just forgotten to brush?"

"No... I thought that... This is great." I grinned, and Yagari raised an eyebrow.

"Cage life is really pushing at your sanity, isn't it?" It was less of a question than he had probably intended, and I knew this, so I didn't answer. I allowed him to lead me back to the entrance hall and waved the Vampire along to follow as well.

xXXx

"Zero had to go to the bathroom," Yagari explained as we began to descend the wider flight of stairs that lead to ground level. The other nodded in understanding and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, which I tried to duck away from. No luck.

"Oh well. When you've got to go, you've got to go," he said, dissmissively. Then he grinned brightly. "You must _really _have had to go! And Touga-chii had to help you?"

"I was brushing my teeth," I lied, and frowned. It bothered me how he addressed my former mentor by his first name, with some cute honorific nonetheless. What was this guy's problem? The mansion was so dark around us, but he emitted this overwhelming brightness that made me was to hurl. And he had such a suggestive way of thinking about things that I wished I could ignore him... But he was directly in my ear.

He shrugged. "It takes two, I suppose. Whatever you want to tell me is fine, I won't pry. I don't really want to know anyway; it's just that you weren't gone very long. Knowing you, that's strange — I'm not sure about Touga-chii, but Master says some great things about your abilities to sustain. Unless..."

He trailed off and gave me a suspicious grin, which I took to mean something abhorrent. I said nothing and returned the look with an acidic one. Luckily, before he could say anything else, Yagari stepped up. "Takuma, shut up."

_Oh. Ichijou. Well, I guess that explains alot._

"But, Touga-chii... I'm having fun." The blonde pouted prettily and released me to cross his arms in a childish way.

"That doesn't matter. Go ahead and pick out Zero's outfit. I'll show him to the room."

With a curt nod, Ichijou stepped into a room where we were stopped and closed the door, disappearing into the darkness. Yagari motioned for me to take up step again, and I did as instructed, which obviously gave my old mentor something to smirk about. I noticed that it was difficult to see him in this dark hallway between patches of candlelight; it had never been difficult to see in the dark before...

"Something upsetting you?" Yagari asked and I nearly jumped. I had been so focused on this that I nearly missed his voice, and had completely forgotten his presence beside me.

"Nothing," I responded quickly, turning my face away from him. I heard him sigh heavily, and I knew he knew. I made something up instead. Something that bothered me, but not the current problem at hand. "I just don't think that you should let a Vampire call you like that..."

This he actually chuckled at. "It bothers you?"

"Uhh... yeah, actually." I was confused now. What was wrong with him? Normally if a Vampire had called him by his first name — or any name at all, let alone his given one — and added a sugary little honorific like _-chii _to it, he'd have killed them. Was he sick? Drugged perhaps, or brainwashed? Conditioned in some way? I didn't understand. Everything I had known about him failed in that one question of his, and I shook my head to regain myself. What _was_ this place?

"Zero, there's something you have to understand; and to understand it, you must forget everything I taught you." This shocked me more than anything else. My eyes went wide, but my mouth tightened. I couldn't say anything, and when I failed to respond, he continued. I didn't want to hear it... "There is no reason to take up arms against the Vampires any longer. We have been taken by them, and there's nothing we can do about it. Takuma is no longer an enemy, but a common slave — just as you are, just as I am — to our Master. He is the only one in this mansion who gives orders, and we are forced to take them. He is a greater being than we are, and we have no choice but to follow him. Those who act against him end up like Hanabusa... And Master always makes a show of it."

I shivered. This was so unlike him that it was almost scary.

xXXx

Both of us stayed silent for the rest of the trip. I was lead to the back of the house, to a winding stone staircase which took us to the most decorated suite of the home. It opened behind a bookcase — it figured that I had to use the private entrance. Yagari took me to the bathroom and had me strip down so he could gauge the imperfections of my body, of which there were few. He covered over a few scars with some make-up, and brushed out my hair, trimming off any pieces that had grown longer than others. I stood for him like a doll with no soul, an empty shell whose life had been sold away. I didn't want to do this...

And there was _no way_ I was putting _that_ on.

"Come on, Zero, do it for Master," Ichijou pleaded and thrust the outfit toward me. I backed away, shaking my head.

"No. I won't do it. It's humiliating. Sorry, but it's just not my kink."

Takuma and Yagari exchanged glances. They couldn't very well _force _me into it. If they left an imperfection on my body, like a bruise or a scratch, Master might very well throw me away like he had with Aidou — though, admittedly, Aidou's death was for a very different reason.

"We can't battle him all night. Master will be here soon, and we've got to be out of here before then," Takuma stroked his chin in thought, and I raised an eyebrow. "I think I have an idea."

"What is it?" Yagari asked, examining the outfit that Takuma had brought up. It was a skin-tight leather bodysuit that would cover my chest from my collar bone, and leave my stomach exposed. It fell to end in the shortest shorts I had ever seen, with straps that were — hopefully — supposed to wrap around my legs. I wasn't sure if Yagari's remark was in response to the outfit or Takuma's idea, but Takuma continued anyway.

"Master has had a long day, out in the cold and snow looking for Zero, right? Well, he probably doesn't want to have to do much work tonight. He needs to be catered to by a _naked_ Zero." I didn't like where this was going. Even if he had suggested I do it in my own clothing, I still wouldn't have liked it. "I mean, I'm _right_, aren't I?"

"I suppose so..." Now they were both examining my bare body, and I tried to cover myself as best I could. A sharp pain caught me in the side and I remembered the stitches from earlier. Takuma came to my side and lifted my arm for a better look.

"What's this?"

"I got cut," I hissed and yanked my arm away from him, only causing myself more pain.

Yagari had already examined it before Ichijou had, and he closed his eyes. "It seems as if our Master had a little fun with Zero earlier, before the escape. This was obviously unintentional; but it won't heal without time. I believe this may be what caused Zero to run in the first place." It made sense... And now that I thought about it, I should have noticed that it hadn't started healing on it's own. Not only that, but Yuuki had been calm about stitching it, as if she _knew_ it wouldn't heal on its own.

Takuma gave me a strange look. "You mean, you don't remember?"

I shook my head. "Barely anything. Sometimes I can see the images of the things that happened... but they don't click. It's like they never happened... or I wasn't there for them... But it's... _there_."

"Weird." Takuma's comment made me want to punch him. My hands balled into fists, and I growled lightly. I knew that if I hit him, there was more of a chance that Ichiru may be punished than there would of me getting off with another warning.

_"Next time you run, I'll kill you."_

Master's words rang in my head, over and over. I wondered if it applied to any other sorts of misbehaviour; but then Yuuki had said that running was the worst offence. I was thinking that as long as I stayed away from the worst of the offences and kept to the lesser insults, I should be alright until I was on good terms with the Master again. Then, theoretically, I could beat Takuma senseless and have Master smile upon me, wondering what Takuma had done to deserve this. I hoped.

Revelling in this realization, I hadn't noticed the other two slipping away, leaving me standing in the bathroom, bare-bodied. As well, I hadn't noticed the Master coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my body.

"It's a good look for you, love," he whispered in my ear, and I froze. Then I struggled and found myself caught in an iron grip. I let out a sharp cry when my wound was pressed on, unintentionally, and I was released. He must have thought I was just startled, because he smiled when I leaned back against the sink, breathing hard. I reached up to grab my side. Now that I was so aware of it, the pain didn't seem to dissipate. "Are you alright, Zero?"

"Yeah. I'm... I'm okay. It hurts a little," I told him, pulling back my hand to examine it. It wasn't bleeding, so I didn't need to worry, and I straightened myself back up before the Master could reach my side to take a look.

"Yuuki has an extraordinary hand, doesn't she?" I wondered if he was really talking about the stitching... "Now, come along." He took my hand, lacing our fingers like a loving boyfriend would, and lead me through his suite to the bedchamber. I was instructed to lay back while the Master removed his clothing and I watched carefully. I watched long, delicate hands on each of the buttons, slipping them from their catches one-by-one. The shining black silk as it contrasted and slid off his pale shoulders, falling to the ground, followed by the white slacks, and his underwear. There wasn't much to his outfit, but he made it look so classy... It wasn't like it was that difficult for him, either. He was beautiful to begin with.

He turned to me then, stepping to the edge of the bed and looking me over. I swallowed hard and placed a hand over my stitches protectively. I couldn't understand why, but I felt something snap in my throat and I swallowed hard. My eyes were wide and fearful. But there was no reason to be. This man in front of me, though he was in complete power of everything I had ever known... I was invincible to him. He could never hurt me. ANd it wasn't because I was something higher... not any more. It was because this man was something special to me, just as I knew I was to him... It helped me to breathe again, and I laid back as Kaname crawled up over my body as he had so many nights before.

But something was different... The look in his blood red eyes was shining with some sort of anger, and suddenly I was shaking again. As a human, there was nothing I could do to stop him if he was really that angry at me. He could kill me now, just as he had done with Aidou... Or he could torture me slowly until my death, like Ichiru. I was no different from any other slave here, and I had to remember it. And I would. Master would make sure of it.

I shut my eyes when he kissed me hard, squeezed them until they hurt. I tried to withdraw, tried to turn my head out of pure instinct. I didn't want to do this. I hated him. I really did; but as much as I told myself so, my heart still pounded in my chest. I was so confused. It wasn't until I felt his hand close around mine, and pull it from my wound that my heart began to pound for a different reason. His hand fell into place where mine had been and pressed down. I hissed and winced, much to his satisfaction.

"Do you feel this?" he asked, his lips only an inch from mine. I whimpered as he pressed harder on it. It was deep, and tender, the flesh inflamed and stinging. "This is because you betrayed me, Zero. Do you remember?"

I didn't. But when he pulled back and traced over it, the images began to return. I laid atop him, nibbling his neck in the most sensitive areas when he began to tell me about what had become of Ichiru. I looked up curiously, and he told me to continue. I complied. But when he began to go into detail of my twin's cruel torture, I stopped again, and threw myself off him, away from him... I didn't want to be near him. I knew that he was keeping Ichiru somewhere in the mansion, away from the Mistress and I, but I was unaware of the things that he forced the boy with the same face as mine into. And suddenly, I didn't want to give him the pleasure that he forced out of my brother. Of course, in my haste, I had backed into something — a standing mirror — and it toppled over me, crashing over me and around me. The Master sat up, stunned and silent while I rushed from the room, somehow managing to miss the throbbing sensation in my side, and the blood that began to pour from my wound. Still fully clothed, I ran out into the storm, and I left him, oblivious to my state, or the state of the night around me...

I looked past Master, finally opening my eyes, and I realized that the mirror, put specifically in it's place for a reason, was missing. For the few hours that I had been missing, it wasn't too outrageous that someone had come along and cleaned it up, or had most likely been ordered to. My best guess would have been Yuuki and Takuma, given a choice, though considering what I had heard, it may even have been Ichiru. I wondered if he had suffered the crooked glass's sharp punishment as I had... or perhaps worse.

He pressed again, harder, when I didn't answer him. "Well, Zero?"

"Yes, Master. I remember!" I choked on the title, and shut my eyes again, expecting him to press down again, but the pressure was relieved, and I sighed. For moments afterward, the sting lingered, causing irregular breath, but it was slowly disipating.

"Kaname, when we're alone," he told me, and I looked up at him. His eyes had softened considerably. "I thought you remembered that as well." I almost expected him to press down again, but he let his thumb brush the clean seam before slipping down to brush my smooth, white thigh.

It wasn't difficult for me to breathe his name as he let his hand slip between us, trailing his fingers along my quickly stiffening member. In fact, it would have escaped anyway. Despite having convinced myself that I hated him, I could no longer deny that I loved him as I lay underneath him, completely subject to whatever beautiful suffering he chose to put me through.

I was vulnerable, and completely at his mercy.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Holy shit. Sorry for the wait, but let me tell a story to both explain and make up for my lack of writing. First of all, I'll have everyone know that I am not dead. Second, that I didn't mean for it to take so long to update, so please don't eat me.

So, here's my explanation/story thing. My USB stick died. Yep. That's it. No, but the full story is that I lost so many documents from it that I just completely broke down, because I was dumb and didn't make any back-up documents on my computer. It took this long to be able to start rewriting this chapter, and this series. For those of you who are also following my TakumaxSenri series, I haven't restarted the next chapter of _Cold Roses_ yet, though I _am_ getting ready to do that. Eventually. Actually, I just started this chapter around the time of my post on Blackened Wing's _My Vampire Heart_ blog. If you are unaware of it's awesomeness, it's a site nearly completely dedicated to KanamexZero fanfics, with a huge list of fics from various different authors and sites, though I'm pretty sure that about 99% of them link back to FFnet. If you already use _My Vampire Heart_ to find all your reading material, then good for you, have a cookie! If not, you can Google it. And yes, that means read this chapter, review, and then go Google it.

Anywhoodles... This chapter... What can I say about it? I'm only about half-finished it as I write this, so I don't think I can really spoil anything... Uhm... Remember that lemon I promised...? Heh. And... there's implied twincest within this chapter, so... But that's about it. I wrote this whole thing almost completely on my friend's laptop over March Break, because I was bored as fuck and there was nothing else to do. Yeah... I was in a remote location over March Break, alot of things happened. Wanna talk about it... but there's no one really to talk to. Probably wouldn't talk to anyone unless I trusted them with my own life. The only thing is that my immeasureable guilt and grief is probably what helped me to write this. And the reading of Volumes 10 and 11 of the VK manga. I know I'm behind. I have a slow computer, so I have to wait for Shojo Beat to put out the manga in English in order to read it. All I can say is that Ruka is considerably less of a bitch than I ever gave her credit for, Yuuki sucks monkey balls and that's why I killed her in both my series, and that Takamiya Kaito is effin' drool-worthy. I probably would have eaten his picture if the manga hadn't been borrowed. Mmmm... Takamiya... And he knew Zero? New favourite yaoi pairing. I'll add it to my list when I get a chance.

Wow. Long note. I should stop. But, I've got to write a long A/N every once in awhile to let my readers know how I'm doing. Don't know why. Just do.

Oh, and just one more thing before we got on with this thing. Interest check. Send me in a review whether or not you're interested in a possible THIRD installment to the _Two Heartbeats_ series, and what you'd personally like to see in it. I'll try to incorporate all ideas, and credit all sources, but I think I have a general idea where I want it to go, including a trip to Kaname's summer home in the tropics... Better not give too much away, though. So, I'm just going to tell everyone right now, that if I don't hear any feedback on this possibility, I won't even bother. It takes less than ten minutes to click the little 'review' button at the bottom of the page and say, "YES! I want more!" Actually... I bet it takes less than that on a faster computer. It takes me, like, nearly twenty minutes to do that... which is why I hardly ever review something unless I have something important to say.

So, on with the chapter.

**xXXx**

_**And Then We Kiss  
**_**Chapter Three  
**

Kaname was a brilliant lover, if nothing else. He wasn't all butterfly kisses and gentle touches — he was heated and passionate, because he wasn't afraid of breaking me. Kaname didn't cradle me lovingly like a porcelain doll, just because I was injured; he was rough with me, the way he knew I liked, and in turn he encouraged me to be rough with him. We took turns teasing eachother, flipping eachother onto our backs to trade dominance (although Kaname _did_ flip me more gently), and bring eachother to the brink of insanity before being let cool off for another round. It was getting painful, and I don't just mean my wound. My body was screaming for release, something that Kaname refused to give me. I didn't deserve it, he told me. I still needed to be punished. And yes, for disobeying him, I supposed I did deserve to be slowly tortured. At least I knew that Ichiru was alright now. There was no way Kaname could be hurting him if he was here with me. Kaname wasn't the kind of person to let someone else take the fun away from him — if he wanted someone tortured, he would do it himself, _his way_. There was no worse wrath than _Kaname's way_ as far as I was concerned.

Of course, I was still torn between passions for this man. I loved him, I knew I did. But I hated him for what he was doing. I knew Ichiru must have stepped out of line somewhere... Yuuki had said that he tried to protect Mistress Shizuka, but I knew there was more to it than that. Deep down inside, I knew it was his own fault; but he was my brother, and I loved him so much more than I could ever love my Master. Not only was Ichiru my brother, he was my _twin_. My _identical_ twin. Two faces the same, but with different thoughts and feelings. It was too twisted a thought for my mind to comprehend how two people in the world could be so alike although they were completely seperate beings. I had always felt as though I were staring into a mirror when I looked into Ichiru's eyes, and I'd reach out just to see if he was real or not. I felt so privledged to have an image so close to my own when no one else did; especially none of the other Hunter families. I felt special and warm to be considered his equal, even though everyone compared his weakness to my strength. But to me, I was never better than he was, and he was never any less than me. We were the same. We were mirror images, ripped from the glass with life breathed into us. Or rather one of us. The question was, which one of us was the mirror? Most people would have answered Ichiru, because he was the fragile, breakable one, akin to glass. But I honestly would have said myself. I was the fake, because where I was strong in Hunter ability, I lacked sorely in self-confidence. It's not something I can explain, it's just this feeling I have. I know I'm older and stronger, but I still felt as if I were the copy. I always had. And that scared me more than anything else in the entire world. Why not? If I were simply a mirror image, then would I disappear if fragile, sick Ichiru died? No... Not completely. I learned that the hard way... But no... Ichiru was still alive...

That was something else I didn't understand... How did I have all these memories of things that had never happened, that seemed so vivid and so real...? And why was it that I had forgotten most of reality? The oddest things had come to my mind ever since the incident the evening, and I paused slightly realizing this, my mouth sucking in hard on Kaname's pulsing member. Maybe I was much too out of it, because I heard Kaname calling me, but I _didn't_ at the same time. I heard him begging me to stop, but I couldn't, because I was too interested in getting to the bottom of these fake memories that were plaguing me. My family's murder by Shizuka-sama, Ichiru's disappearance and later death, turning into a Vampire and devouring Yuuki's blood... Yuuki's death... Nearly falling to Level E, and — through a strange series of circumstances involving two and a half rapes — becoming Kaname's lover. Kaname's _lover_. Not his slave. Not his pet. His equal, his beloved, his one and only. The eyes that I remembered him looking upon me with in these fake memories were much preferable to those that looked down on me know. That's all they did — _look down on me_. In these memories, his eyes were gentle and caressing. Warm, even. They made my body tingle with rising goosebumps, and made my body feel like a hole had been torn in my heart to release the once-dorment butterflies free into my stomach. Hell, I think those eyes made me blush, even. But I still looked at him and wondered how I had ended up falling so madly in love with him. When? I used to hate him so much...

"_ZERO_!" Finally, Kaname managed to get my attention by sitting up and pushing me back. I wasn't sure how long I had carried on for, absent-mindedly, but I could taste him in my mouth, and I knew I had gone too far. But how _long_ had I gone too far for? I didn't really know. At least, though, I was aware that I was still good at what I did in that state. That was actually quite self-gratifying, even though it was a tawdry thought. Disgusting, even. Oh well. Worse things had begun to come to mind here anyway. This place radiated that kind of atmosphere.

So, I just laid on my back, staring up at Kaname with the best look of innocence I could muster. "What do you want, Kaname?"

He was breathing hard, trying to brush rogue strands of sweat-soaked hair from his face as he stared at me, incredelously. "Are you unaware? You are beautiful in your work, Zero, but you need to be more careful. I should punish you..." A smirk came over his face at this, and he began to move down the bed to where I lay. And when he reached me, I smirked as well.

"Beautiful, huh? Just in my work. Cruel Master." I began to lean up toward him.

"Disobeying orders again? I told you; just Kaname. You really _do_ deserve punishment." And he made no move toward me.

"Then, by all means _Master_; punish—" There, I had to stop, because the shooting pain in my side more unbearable than any of the others heated up my body all the way from my jaw to my knees. I bit my lip, feeling the rush through my nerves and laid back, groaning. Instinctively, a hand came up to press on it, which just brought even more pain. Pain, and then something else. Hot, thick liquid. I raised my hand to look at it and saw my own blood staining my palm. My gaze switched to Kaname, who simply stared at my side worldlessly for a moment before he pushed my arm away and leaned down to lick the wound clean of blood. I groaned when he sucked, hissed when he sucked harder. Then, he bit down and I yelped. It burned hard enough to make my eyes water as he dragged unlengthened fangs along my new stitches. It amazed me how controlled he was with this, not allowing his eyes to change colours or his fangs to show themselves... It was one of those things that made me realize just how powerful he was. This toture also reminded me that when he said 'punishment', he probably wasn't joking. It had been slightly pleasurable at first, but now it just hurt... And the way he pushed my legs apart to ram two of his elegant fingers into my behind without any warning or lubrication set it in stone.

"You will never betray me again."

xXXx

So beautiful when he slept. Who would have guessed? Not that he wasn't beautiful when he was awake, too...

I stood by the window, staring out into the daylight without any problems. I didn't even need to squint against the brightness, though I wondered how Kaname would react if he awoke to a room filled with sunlight. I looked back at my Master and frowned hard, reaching down to rub my ass, but thinking better of it. It had been rougher than I liked, with minimal lubrication, and a hand pressed to my wound the whole time to remind me that it was there. Kaname kept telling me over and over that I would never disobey him again, and it almost seemed like deja vu, like I had been there before. And what he had said just before... about my betrayal... I remembered that, and I could almost predict what he was about to say from another instance that I guessed had taken place more than six months ago... but I couldn't quite place what that was. I just brushed it off — after all, it had been so long ago. I probably wouldn't have to worry about it.

I heard him stirring, and turned once more to look at him. When his eyes fluttered open, and he called my name, I shut the curtains and brought myself to the edge of the bed where he lay. He reached out to run his fingers along the contours of my face, his eyes tracing the delicate skin there. "Are you not tired?"

"No."

And this confused him, which I could see plainly on every feature of his face. He motioned for me to join him in the bed, and I did even though I really had no desire to lay with him after what he had done to me. But that was my fault, wasn't it? If I hadn't run, then I wouldn't have needed punishment — it's common sense. I knew that, and I couldn't fathom why he would have provoked me into doing something like that. The wound in my side still ached as a painful reminder to last night, and the worst part was that, really, it was self-inflicted, so I couldn't blame it on my Master. It's not like he had rigged the mirror to break, or even taken a shard of it and stabbed me with it. It was all _my fault_. It seemed like everything was. I wasn't quite sure, but somehow I knew there was more to Ichiru's punishment that having just had a sexual relationship with Shizuka-sama and trying to protect her when Kaname found out. Personally, I would have been pissed, too, if any wife of mine had been cheating on me with one of my favourite slaves. It made me wonder, though, how many parts of these fake memories of mine I would have just accepted or even agreed with if I had loved Kaname so much. I wondered if I would have thought differently about my Guardian duty for Cross Academy if I had even remotely gotten along with him... But I had hated him so much, and with good reason.

"What are you thinking about?"

Had he really just asked me that? But I answered anyway. "I'm not exactly sure... For some reason I've been having these memories of things that never happened, and I have no idea what they are or where they came from... But... I know that we go to the same school, and I'm a Vampire. Yuuki... Shizuka-sama... Ichiru... are all dead. And I hated you; but we became lovers, even though you raped me..."

Kaname actually laughed out loud at this, and I frowned, not understanding what exactly was so funny about that. "Oh, Zero. I can believe quite easily that you'd make something like that up."

"You think I made it up?" I asked, pushing myself to sit up so I could look him full in the face. "I'm not making this up. It's weird. I mean, we were _lovers_, and you—" 

"Zero, do you_ really _believe we could ever be lovers?"

I paused for a moment. Considering that I was his slave — as denoted by the black leather collar around my neck — it was impossible. He was right. He was right, and it stung hard enough to keep me from looking at him. Tears were building up, threatening to spill over, but I wouldn't let them. I refused to. I couldn't do that in his presence. Instead, I just pushed myself to rise from the bed and bowed to Kaname. "I should leave you, Master, so you can rest for today. I'll be back when you call for me." And I turned then, toward the bookcase, searching for the book that would release the clasp from the wall, allowing the bookcase to be pulled back. I didn't find it easily, and Kaname only chuckled watching me. That was all I was for him — entertainment. Nothing else. I sucked in a long breath, as I pulled the handle on the back of the case to close the entrance off. And I only released it when the door had been sealed, leaving me in the dark alone. My breath wavered for some reason I couldn't fathom, though at the same time I was completely certain of the reason. I didn't want to believe that Kaname was right — that there was no chance that we ever could have been lovers — but I still wished that it could have been true. Two words occurred to me, then — _Blood Bond_ — and it struck me. We had made a connection between Vampires, the most sacred of all acts. In those memories, I felt full and warm. In comparison now, I was empty, tired, cold... It was physically draining to think that Master didn't even _want_ that between us.

I lead myself back to my room, having memorized the route last night. No... I knew it, as if I had travelled it for years. But I had. For nine years I had walked back and forth from my Master's room, given him my body and returned to my own bedroom. Most often, I remembered being with someone else — Ichiru and Aido, mostly — so I wasn't exactly used to travelling alone. I stopped in the hall heading back from the kitchen, staring into the eyes of a woman on horseback, whose blonde hair was braided and tucked up it a bun. I recognized her instantly. Shizuka-sama. And it was here that I also remembered my brother stopping me one afternoon after a particularly rough night with Kaname.

_"Zero?" Ichiru took my arm to stop me, tracing his fingers down to lace with mine. I complied, tilting my head slightly to ask him what was wrong. He looked hesitant to answer me, but he did anyway. "I'm worried about you. Kaname's always so gentle with me, but he hurts you... Are you in pain?"_

_ I shook my head, though there was no denying the sting echoing throughout my whole body. "I'm fine. I can take it. You know that."_

_ He nodded once, then leaned over to kiss my lips gently. I was startled by this, because, while I had always been close with my twin, that was pushing it a little. But I didn't pull away. Infact, I found myself pressing into him, craving his sweet taste and the delicate way that he pulled my own body toward his own. Ichiru reached up to stroke my face, blushing hard when he pulled away and leaned his forehead on my shoulder. "Zero, I love you... I hate seeing him do those things to you. I watching him hurt you. I can't do this anymore... I can't... Anything to stop it. I would do _anything_ so that I wouldn't have to see it. I love you. I _love _you." And the way he stressed it, I was sure he didn't mean that he loved me like a brother. And the scary part was that, even though I knew it was wrong to feel this way toward my own brother, I wrapped my arms around him to hold his body close to mine, cradling him gently as his hot tears soaked into my shirt and he just cried._

_ "I love you, too, Ichiru," I whispered, leaning my head against his. I looked up, then, at the portrait of Shizuka-sama riding a proud-looking dappled grey gelding, the one she had prized at the time of the painting. Gods know how long ago that was. "Come on," I broke from him then, but stayed close to his side. "Let's go to bed."_

_ "Yeah." And from there, we went straight up to our room, filled the tub for a bath so that we could take the time to wash the sweat and blood off eachother, then dried eachother off, and went back to my bed without a second thought of perhaps putting on some kind of clothing. And that afternoon... he showed me how much he loved me._

I shook my head, feeling my heart beating eratically in my chest as if I had just run a marathon. This hall was laden with memories of Ichiru, and it hurt to think of him. Had I really loved Ichiru more than I loved Kaname? I couldn't tell. Sometimes, it was either one or the other. Most of the time I couldn't tell. Less than half the time, I didn't care to know which I loved more. Both were beautiful in their own ways — Ichiru _so_ much more so than Kaname — but both had twisted, hideous sides that I couldn't bear to acknowledge. I hated the thought that I may not love either one as much as the other, so I just tried to ignore it. It was irrelevant anyway; I would always have to be with Kaname, as long as I lived, and I would never see Ichiru again. It wasn't as if I could just wander on up to his tower, pop the door open and take him outside to play in the freshly fallen snow, now could I? ...Or... _could_ I? As long as I was quiet about it... there _had_ to be a way around Kaname that I just didn't know about. But maybe Yuuki would.

Yuuki... I saw her in the hall, headed in the opposite direction as me and flagged her down, noticing that she looked rather sullen for some reason that I couldn't understand. "Hey. What's up?"

"Nothing," she answered, turning to me and smiling brightly as she always had. I just stared at her, pushing my eyebrows down to show her how unimpressed I was that she was lying. The look made her avert her eyes and I sighed, rolling mine.

"Is this about Kaname? I know you're in love with him." The statement of mine made her jump slightly, and she looked back at me with wide chestnut eyes. She opened her mouth, about to speak, but I cut her off before she could. "I love him too. It's stupid, because he does nothing but use me for his entertainment... but I do. I'm sorry I took him from you when you're unable to have him, and I'm sorry that you have to take care of me as a result of him; it's not fair, really, but I can't help it. Master wants me to keep coming back to him, and I will."

She kept silent for a moment. "Where did... _that_ come from?"

Another silence. It was something I had been thinking earlier when I was revelling in those false memories, just after I had lived through the moments of Yuuki's funeral, and then those subsequently in the months directly afterward — two and a half rapes. I remembered thinking to myself that I was sorry that Yuuki had never actually gotten a chance to have Kaname the way I did. She had loved him first, and for longer. He had loved her in return, but it had never gotten a chance to bloom into anything more beautiful. What did it matter, anyway? Those memories weren't even real. Just... _dreams_ I had, maybe. So, I shook my head and picked up a slow walk toward my room. "Sorry, it was nothing. Never mind."

And I returned to me room for another day of lonliness.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I wonder if anyone reads these things... I do. Oh well.

Soooo... This chapter. I just started it, so I can't spoil anything, but I can say, in response to a review from **Irmina**,__that these memories of Zero's... if you take a look at the prequel, _Two Heartbeats and the Red Sin_, then some of them link back to that. Others don't. I just thought I'd point that out, there, for anyone who missed it or maybe didn't read _Two Heartbeats_. Poor Zero-chan; he's all confused and Kaname thinks he's crazy.

Once again, thanks for all the reviews, favourites, and alerts. It's _very_ much appreciated guys — keep 'em coming!

**xXXx**_****_

And Then We Kiss

**Chapter Four**

I wasn't sure how long I had actually been asleep for when I heard the door creak open, and someone crept in. I looked up at my clock without saying anything, seeing that it was still late afternoon, and I groaned. The cloaked figure turned and released herself from her hood, letting a torrent of silver-gold hair fall down her back, though most of it was done up nicely to keep it from getting too tangled. I would recognize Hio Shizuka — or rather _Kuran_ Shizuka, I guess — anywhere. This was the woman who had turned me in those deluded fantasies of mine, after all. I stood and bowed to her, and I watched her scrutinizing every detail of me wordlessly. For a moment I was afraid I had done something wrong, but she swept forward and embraced me, breathing softly on my neck. I was stunned, so I didn't hug back, and after a while, she stepped away.

"Zero, I'm glad to see you're alright," she whispered, trying to break the tension between us. There was obviously something going on that I was unaware of. "Kaname's such a cruel man, but he treats you so well... He loves you dearly."

"Only physically," I returned, bowing my head so that I didn't have to look at her. She had nothing to say, either, and so, turned to look at the empty bed next to mine, stripped nude of its sheets and the personal belongings that once cluttered the shelves — Aidou's so-called collection of things sacrificed during the display of our Master's awesome powers... or something to that effect. I had heard it a million times. I'd only _listened_ to him about three or four times before it got annoying. I had hated sharing a room with him, and even more so I hated sharing Kaname with him. Aidou had never deserved to enter Kaname's suite, let alone his bed. And everytime my Master would choose Aidou over me, I became overly jealous for no obvious reason... None... _whatsoever_.

Finally, though, Shizuka spoke, turning back to me. "Zero, would you please accompany me to the tower while my husband sleeps? Ichiru wants to see you again."

I was surprized by this and perked up a little, letting it register in my mind exactly what she was telling me. _Ichiru... She wants to take me to see Ichiru..._ But then again... why should I trust her? I felt nervous around her, like she was going to strike me down at any moment and sink her fangs deep into my skin. I felt like she was eyeing me continuously, waiting for the right moment to lash out at me. It just felt wrong that she might be on my side, and I couldn't quite accept it. But I couldn't say no either. After all, she was the Mistress of the house. I was as much under her command as I was under Kaname's. So I nodded once and responded simply. "Take me to him."

"Come along then," she whispered, pulling her hood back up over her head and taking my hand gently in her own. For a moment I wondered what the cloak was for, as she pulled the hood farther over her eyes, but when the door was opened and the sunlight flooded in from the windows across the hall, I understood completely. Shizuka was a Vampire, and though I was certain that the sunlight didn't affect Purebloods the same way as it did lower levels, I knew it probably still bothered her quite a bit. I had to shield my eyes, but it was only because of the strain of transferring from such a dark room into the unbearably bright hall. I could only imagine how Shizuka might have felt.

She tugged my hand, walking quickly and gracefully ahead of me, her footfall soundless on the thinly carpetted floor. I was amazed by the way she kept such calm, winding through maze-like halls as we went, stopping every now and again to wait for someone to pass so we stayed out of sight. It only occurred to me how secret this really was when we ducked into a room to hide from Yuuki, quiet - harmless, little Yuuki who hummed a pleasant tune as she carried a stack of sheets up to one of the rooms. If we were hiding this from even her, then there was a problem. The thought that Yuuki was a potential threat instilled in me a sense of fear and as we neared Ichiru's location on the other side of the manor, I began to shake and sweat. I rubbed my palms against my pants waiting for Shizuka to open the large cherrywood door that I assumed lead up to the tower. On the other side was a stone spiral staircase going in both directions, which I questioned silently, but ultimately decided I'd rather not know. Our destination, anyway, was up.

The stone stairs spiralled upward, seemingly endless as we travelled on. Eventually my legs got tired, but Mistress Shizuka just pressed me onward. "We can't stop now, we're almost there." It was almost five minutes after that before the smell of frigid winter air and sawdust filled the tower, and then faintly I could smell blood. The last scent to assult my senses was Kaname's expensive cologne, which made my heart leap both of out fear and excitement. What if he were up there? What if he caught me with Mistress Shizuka? What would he do to me...? I was his favourite, right... So there was a fair chance that he wouldn't kill me; but I might end up in the dungeon, away from Ichiru, so that Kaname could still use me when he felt he needed to.

At this point, we were standing outside a thick wooden door, with bars filling a small window. I could see in, but at first I didn't find my twin. He was hiding, and I felt like I was looking into a rodent habitat, with the sawdust scattered across the floor, the food and water in one corner... There was a high-backed arm chair pushed up to the window, with a white-sleeved elbow sticking out on one of the arms. I nearly jumped when I saw this, and Shizuka placed a hand on my shoulder in attempt to calm me down. I took a breath. I had to calm down — my heart felt like it was doing backflips, ready to burst from my chest and run away on its own.

"Ichiru," she whispered through the bars, and it instantly caught his attention. "I'm here."

"Shizuka?" I heard him shift in the chair, and then slowly, he turned, peeking out around the wooden frame curiously. "Shizuka, is that you?"

"Yes, Love. And I've brought someone special." Here, she pulled me forward so that I was fully visible to the mirror image on the other side of the door. There was a long silence where we just stared at eachother, taking in each and every detail as if we'd never met before. He didn't even look like my brother any more. Months locked away in this cold cell had done little for him. He had lost about ten pounds, his hair had lost its argent shine, his eyes had lost their amaranthine glow. The shirt and pants that he wore were dirty and worn out, half a size too big in the waist, and three sizes too big in the arms. He was barefoot, dirt was smudged on every bit of exposed ivory skin, and dark purple circled his eyes. He was sick from the cold and weak from whatever torture Kaname put him through. Blood. I could see it through the clothes, and dried in the corner of his mouth, rubbed into his hair where it was clumped with some dried substance that I recognized immediately, even from a distance. "Stand aside, Zero. I'll open the door." Mistress Shizuka retrieved a ring of skeleton keys from a pocket in her dress, and I moved out of her way while she sorted through them, choosing the right one, then pushed it into the keyhole, twisted, and with a click she was able to pull it out. It was an effortless action, but I knew it was a heavy door. A mere human would have had ten times the difficulty. Even if the door wasn't locked for precautionary measures, there was no way Ichiru would have been able to escape.

As soon as the door had opened, Ichiru dashed over and jumped up on me, wrapping his arms so tightly around my neck that I thought I might choke. But it was the least of my worries. My arms were locked just as tightly around his waist and I buried my head in his shoulder trying to hide the tears that were forming in my eyes.

"Zero... have you finally come to take me away from all this...?" He was crying, too. I could hear it in the way his voice wavered so obviously when he spoke. It wasn't long after that the hot salt liquid began to seep into my sweater.

I couldn't hold back anymore. I don't know if it was because I was so happy to see him... or because I knew there was no way I could ever save him from his hellish fate.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**Soooo... This is the last planned chapter... Hilariously enough... I believe we're all in for at least two more chapters after this one. I love the series too much to end it just now. Also, as of now, I'll be looking for a Beta Reader, because I've just now started looking over the things I've published and realized that its not as great as I thought.

Also, I apologize for the length of chapter four, but... I dunno. I have my reasons.

Okay... Warnings for this chapter... Touga cleaned up, shouta, improper use of chess pieces, lemon (though it's rather placid, I must shamefully admit), and other stuff that I probably didn't pick up because it's 4AM.

Thanks to everyone who favourited and reviewed! I want to see more reviews, though. It's what drives me to write, so anyone who wants to give me the extra push, give me a beautiful review and this could be finished by the end of August! I'd like to see what you liked, how I should improve, and what you want to see, as well as whether or not I should take the extra step and make this a trilogy or not, at best. If you must, just tell me whether or not you liked it, and be done with it. C'mon, guys! It's a five-second process! It's not that hard to write a five-lettered, one-worded response: _Great!_That's all it takes.

To those who do review, THANK YOU. This is for you.

xXXx

And Then We Kiss  
**Chapter Five**

I fingered the expensive leather collar around my neck as I walked the halls that afternoon, finding myself unable to stay still. It was true that I was never going to be able to save Ichiru, but I had to try. I had to. I was spending my time gathering every watt of power my brain could muster and throwing it into my escape plan. It wasn't going very well. Judging by the distance I had gotten from the mansion last night, it would be more difficult than I had first given it credit for. I had decided one thing and one thing only: to get far enough away fast enough, we'd need the speed of the Gods, and that wasn't happening anytime soon. I had decided just after being reunited with Ichiru that I _had_to find a way to escape as soon as possible; the sooner the better. It'd have to be sometime during the day while Kaname was asleep, for our best bet; and then there was always the problem of the collar.

I slipped my fingers inside it, rubbing at the raw skin underneath it. How many times had I been asphyxiated to nearly the point of suffocation because of this wretched strip of leather? Too many. How many times had full pink lips kissed my name etched into the cool metal and whispered the words _"You're mine."_ into my neck? Too many. It was time to fight back. It was time to stand up for myself. I was only human, but there had to be _something_ I could do. I was trying to remember countless escape routes that I must have tried, but nothing came up, though I could feel the memories there. I knew they existed. Finally, I was carried outside of my room and into the lonely halls. Most people who might be needed slept their afternoon away, preparing for the long night ahead of them, and I suppose that's what I should have been doing as well, but it hadn't really occurred to me that it would've done me some good. All I could think of was that I had to escape, and I had to take Ichiru away from this place... to safety, if there were any. I was well aware that where ever I ran, my Master would find us. He'd find us, and... Maybe he wouldn't kill us... not until he'd dragged us home and could make a public spectacle of it; I wouldn't put it past him. He was _that _kind of Master, and _that_kind of Master is fatal to anyone who wants to cross him.

Not only did I want to cross him, but I was his favourite, and that meant that my breathing room could be even more restricted. Where were the boundaries? _Were_ there any? There had to be. If I couldn't get away with leaving, then I knew there was _something_there I couldn't cross. But... I wanted to. I wanted to go so far beyond it. I'm not even sure how far — I wanted to break my brother out, take my Master's wife, and run away with both of them. How far does that go? I think that's near the point of death, whenever he caught us, and I say 'when' because there was no 'if' about it. I was certain that this was a bad idea. I was certain that he would catch us.

The sound of footsteps headed in my direction stopped me dead, and I looked up, watching the strangely two-eyed mess of strange clothing walking toward me, book held up and rested on his shoulder. No... not mess. I was just used him being that way. He was cleaned up so perfectly, as he had been the first time I'd met him here. It was Touga. Or maybe it was Touga in a shadow of his former self. I instantly felt my heart drop, the way a wild horse's does when it knows its been broken.

"Zero, what are you doing up so late?"

I struggled for an answer. "What are _you_doing up so late?" Answering a question with a question is usually a good way to let someone know you're up to something.

"I'll have you know that _I_am on an errand for the Master. What's your excuse?" That hard look pierced my slightly frantic one as I scrambled once again for an answer. Finally, Touga just smiled and I relaxed a little. "If you can't sleep, just say so."

I thought about that for a minute. Then, "I... can't sleep?"

"Thought so. Why? Is it because of Ichiru?"

What was he doing, making up my excuse for me? But, yes. He was right, so I nodded an affirmation.

"You two loved eachother so much," he said, giving a sort of half-chuckle, and motioned for me to accompany him, which I did without question. Of course, I still thought of him as my Sensei, and I wasn't about to cross him, even if I wanted to. I had the same respect for him that I did for Kaname, just a little more so, and a little less... _so_. I asked him what he meant in his statement, and he nodded once, letting himself smile. "I still remember when you ran to me, tears in your eyes the first time you slept with Kaname a few years after coming here. You gripped onto me and just cried for about a minute and when you finally stopped, you told me that you hated it, that it hurt, and whatnot. Do you remember?"

Yes, I did.

xXXx

_Four years ago, just after I turned thirteen, Kaname's favouritsm turned to a brooding lust that I'd noticed but didn't understand. It was one night when Ichiru was running a fever and I sat up playing chess with the Master that he finally made his move... and I don't mean on the board. He stood and turned my chair to face him, slowly stripping me down to the nude, which I didn't question because he was my Master, and there was nothing I could do about it. It was when he kissed me that I got upset and planted my hands on his chest to push him away. I wasn't comfortable, and I told him so. "Just relax," he told me, smirking darkly. "You'll like it. I promise." It wasn't the first time he'd made me a promise, and I knew that he always kept them, so I was a little more receptive to the strange feeling of his lips on mine. He moved with them, slowly unbuttoning his own shirt, and slowly, I picked up and tried to follow them as I knew he probably wanted me to._

_It pleased him. I could tell._

_Slowly, his hands ghosted up my chest, across my nipples, and back down my sides, making me close my eyes as I submitted to the sensation. I felt his hand travel down to my thigh, rest there for a moment, then move to stroke at a very slowly hardening erection. Finally, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it or not, he slipped down to sit on his knees infront of me, touching and kissing in such a way that I was slowly losing myself. I didn't want to, I was scared, and even when I cried and begged him to stop, he refused. I watched his hand come up, stroke the collar on my neck, and then trace my lips. He waited, for what I was unsure of, but when his head came down he began to suck gently, I gasped, and he shoved three of his fingers into my mouth. He pulled back long enough to tell me to suck, and I had no problem obeying him. The beautiful ministrations below forced me to copy his movements, my tongue darting in and around his fingers, as his did to me. And when he was satisfied, he drew his hand back and stood up, instructing me to turn around backwards in my chair. I complied, wondering why he'd want me to do something so strange, but it wasn't long before he made it blatantly obvious._

_"What the Hell are you doing?" I tried to turn, but found it quite difficult with his middle finger entering and searching around for something. I winced with a sort of burning that was building up, a sting that made me bite my lip, and I let out a short sob, turning back to bury my face in the fabric of the chair. Finally, the burning was cut when I felt something profoundly pleasurable erupt through my body, causing me to see white and I let out a long, loud moan, which seemed to satisfy him because he pressed up against it again. Now I was crying out of pleasure rather than pain and the muscles in my legs were spasming for a reason I couldn't comprehend and he slowly added a second finger, and minute after that he added a third, as tight a fit as it was. I still don't know why that is, all I know is that I don't like it. "M-master... please stop..." I could barely get the words out, but he evidently heard them and pulled back, which relieved me quite a bit... Until I felt him pressing again with something else. I turned to look, but I could only see the chessboard. I couldn't turn any further._

_I felt something pressing back at my entrance, another finger I thought, but instead of smooth flesh, I felt rigid bumps and though it was still smooth, somehow I was able to register a different texture. It felt different, _oddly different_ when Kaname withdrew it and then pushed it back in, and I wasn't sure that I like it at all. I looked back again, hoping I could get a good look at what he was pressing up inside of me, and I happened to notice at this point that one of the black bishops was missing off the board. My face instantly turned red as the thought occured to me that he just might be using that bishop and that the strange texture was the polished ebony. Finally, displeased with my lack of reaction, he pulled back, to which I gave a low and quick, "Ow." It _had _hurt a little bit._

_"I'll be right back." And he stood, leaving me there for a moment to retrieve something from his bedside table. I just sat there, waiting, my face rested against the chair's plush upholstry, running my hand through hair that I hadn't noticed was soaked with sweat until then. I heard Kaname return and something popped open. "This should make it easier." And he slipped one of his fingers in. Yes, it was much easier, and it erasing the dry, rubbing burn that made me feel like my insides were being chaffed away. It gave him a sweet glide, something smooth, something I could relax with. And I did. This time when he pulled away, I was ready and expecting of the bishop when it entered me, and because of whatever he'd done, I was able to enjoy this feeling, letting it well up inside me with almost unbearable warmth. I sighed, but it came out more as a moan, and as a result felt the movement speeding up. My back arched and I let out another moan. I could barely register what was happened anymore, and eventually I felt the bishop removed. "There, Zero. It's your turn." He tapped my shoulder and I turned fully around to look at him. He was removing his clothes, piece by piece and folding each item as it was removed. I watched his body in fascination, how each muscle rippled so close to the skin, so tight... Kaname was beautiful, and I supposed it was because he was a Vampire, because somehow it seemed so otherworldly._

_I didn't know what to do. I sat there and stared at his feet, trying to ignore him as he took me by the hand and pressed my palm to his abdmen. I blushed hard, feeling a little humiliated with his eyes on me in that way. Once, I spared an upward glance, and crimson caught lavender, locked. Held. I wanted to look away but I couldn't, I was just trapped there in his gaze, biting my lip as he brought my hand down, instructing me on exactly how to touch him just the way he liked it. Eventually, he released my wrist and I carried on by myself, my eyes finally tracing down to rest on his collar bone without any longing. I was disgusted by what I was doing, and similarly by what he had done to me. I was in pain, and I was longing for some sort of release that I wasn't sure of how to achieve, and he wasn't making it any better with those sultry noises of his, escaping from between the pinks lips that I _did _love so much. I was repulsed by the feeling of his member hardening in my hand, and I wanted to let go, to run away to Ichiru, to cry on him because of how horrified I was of this experience. This was giving me too much time to think, too much time to worry, and too much time to regret. I regretted letting him touch me like that, and now that I had this time, I felt violated. Finally, Kaname removed my hand wordlessly, and motioned to the bed, where he went and sat down. He gave me two very simple commands, one being to kneel infront of him, and the other to take him in my mouth. I had already knelt before I had heard the second, and at that I broke down in tears. I'm not certain why... I was scared of that repulsive object infront of me, and I didn't want in anywhere near my face. I managed to sob that out, half-heartedly._

_He seemed to understand. "Too much, too soon, I suppose." And with that, he patted the bed for me to sit while he retrieved a small bottle from the floor at the chess board. I asked him what it was, and he replied simply, "Lubrication." which I understood plainly enough. He had me lay back, moved my legs apart and relubricated his fingers, pushing them in one at a time, pumping out a steady rhythm that made my toes curl as he went down on me, adding an extra sensation, which built up so quickly that I nearly toppled over the edge before he could pull away. I lay there mewling and whimpering, my eyes squeezed shut as I felt myself teetering dangerously on the edge, unable to jump, just needing that extra push... and Kaname? I could feel him smirking at me._

_"Master... please..." I felt the tears again. I was crying. Why was I crying? I wanted this so bad, and I just couldn't comprehend what was going on around me. I almost heard the pop of the cap as Kaname flipped the lid, but I wasn't sure until I felt his body over mine and opened my eyes. "Mas—"_

_"Kaname." He leaned on one arm and smoothed my hair out of my face. It was only then that I realized how much bigger he was in comparison. Still growing, he looked about my age though I knew he was much older, and I revelled in that thought. It was so obscure. It didn't exactly make sense at that point. Despite the crimson of his eyes and the sharp points of his canines, Kaname was simply a human teenager that I had begun to fall madly in love with, and I completely forgot that he was a Vampire — a beast in Human form that drank the blood of living Humans. It hardly mattered to me. I had dispised him five years prior, but somewhere along the line, I had allowed myself to befriend him and actually enjoyed his company. What now? I felt my stomach churn unpleasantly, and I knew it was something other than the desire that was also building there. What, however, I wasn't entirely certain._

_"Take a deep breath, Zero, and relax." I did as instructed and felt something pressed at my rear. Something that made me rigid once again, and by that I mean bodily. I lost a breath and my throat dried up almost instantaneously._

_"Please... Kaname." I looked up pleadingly, my eyes puffed from all the tears, my face red and hot. My bottom lip trembled when he ignored me and pressed again. "Please, no."_

_"It's going to hurt, so brace yourself."_

_I grabbed two handfuls of sheets and squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't want this. I didn't want this at all. It was too much, and I was scared. I wanted to tell him, and I wanted him to stop, but I'd already tried and he'd ignored my pleas. I was resigned to my fate. It hurt, but it was true. I took a few deep breaths to help me relax, and I tried to think of other things, of Ichiru... It helped, if only a little bit, but the pain was enough to keep me in the moment, forcing the slow, deep breaths as Kaname moved his hips to align them with my own, and filled me with himself, all the way to the hilt. I didn't cry this time, though I was in copious amounts of pain, and I guessed that Kaname had seen this in my face because he made me release my white-knuckled grip on the sheets and wrapped my arms around his neck, one by one. He whispered gently to me and kissed my lips, but it wasn't helping. There was no one I hated more than him at that moment, and despite all my natural strength of mind I felt so physically weak._

_"How do you feel?" he asked slowly, his face so close to mine that I could feel his eyelashes brushing my cheek and could feel his hot breath on the side of my face, then rolling off to grace my neck with its sensual heat._

_I tried to answer, but the first time it came out as a pained whine, to which he kissed my cheeks where his lips rested, idle. "It hurts... Everytime I move it just..." And as if to explain further, I moved one of my legs up and a little closer to him, wincing as the pain shot up through my nerves and burned my whole lower half. It didn't make sense, but I felt it most primarily in my toes. Kaname watched my face and began to smooth my hair back again, kissing my forehead gently. He was almost always like this until I had a year's experience before he began introducing rougher play, which I was able to enjoy fully by then. Until then, he very gently reached between us, and began to stroke my length slowly, gripping, running his thumb over the head and pressing a little harder to help distract me from the pain. It worked to a degree... until he began to pull back and then push back in again, to which I dug my nails into his back until he hissed. Whether it was the pleasant kind of hiss or the painful one I couldn't tell. Now... I'd have to say pleasant, but I'm not quite sure. It was so long ago, after all._

_Finally though, I felt the pain easing off as my muscles relaxed around him. It was still a tight fit, and it was still burning, but it was significantly more bearable. Soon, I had relaxed enough that I could actually derive some pleasure out of it, and moan once or twice. The speed was satisfactory, but it was nowhere near... _satisfying_. I breathed in his ear, "Faster." and he complied almost gratefully. I don't know how long it took, but the speed and force with which he moved into me was rocking my body as I rocked against his, and was sending waves of heated tingles up my body until I couldn't stop the sounds that were leaving my throat, even when Kaname kissed me, considerably harder than before. I felt something hot leaking out and it caused a strange sort of squelching noise, which I relucantly stopped Kaname for. "What was that?"_

_He pulled away and looked down, frowning only slightly. Wordlessly, he pushed back in and continued. "If I tell you... you won't like it."_

_I struggled through the moans as he continued at the same pace. It hardly mattered anyway. I was getting dangerously close, and hooked one of my legs around Kaname's waist when he pushed my thigh back, allowing better access. I was so close... I moaned his name loudly, reaching down to touch myself, but he swatted my hand away to take care of it himself. Within minutes, the dual sensations pushed me over the edge, coating both my chest and Kaname's with a thick, sticky liquid that I was unfamiliar with, and I just laid there panting while he finished up himself. It was only another minute or so before I was filled to the brim with his seed, and he laid there, trying not to collapse on top of me. For a moment, we stayed like that in blissful euphoria, taking eachother in, kissing eachother's lips... I'd almost told him I loved him when I felt another sort of burn... the kind of burn you get when you get salt in an open wound, and you only get three guesses as to where it was coming from. I pushed Kaname aside, though maybe it was only so easy because he'd already pulled away and was moving to lay beside me, but that doesn't matter. I wanted to see what it was that was stinging so much, and in turn what was leaking out of my body. I was terrified to see what was leaking out from between my legs. I would have almost expected blood from the amount of pain I was in, even if it was only a little bit in comparison to what I'd expected earlier. Still, in mortification, I jumped up, grabbed Kaname's shirt, and was running off before Kaname could say anything to me._

_I'd been able to hold back the tears of pain until I ran into Touga, but after that... I may have exaggerated the story just a little bit, especially since I was so distressed; but Touga made me go see the Resident Nurse, who told me I had an anal fissure, and that I should allow a few weeks for healing. I never _ever _want someone looking that closely at my back end ever again. Ever. Kaname is no exception._

_I returned to Kaname with the news and he just laughed, telling me that he'd expected no less, and he would have told me so if I'd given him the chance. All of that embarrassment could have been avoided if I'd just been a little more rational._

xXXx

"I try not to," I laughed nervously, rubbing my forehead to hide the rising blush.

"Well... he used to talk to me, you know. I wasn't too receptive to him back then, but I suppose now that the time has come, I'm glad he did." The time...? I didn't understand what he meant. I wanted to ask him, but he shook his head. "He liked you. He always did. He said you were intriguing, that your disobedience and stubbornness had always attracted him. I'll admit that I hated the thought that he, a Vampire, wanted you as his own in the beginning, but he told me also that you were too young at one point. He wanted to wait at least until you'd reached sexual maturity, and after that..." This... all of it... What was this feeling building up inside me? Guilt? Suddenly I didn't want to leave him. "You have no idea what he told me after the first time you'd said you loved him. He was estatic... And then to catch you in the act with Ichiru... I still can't stand that thought, by the way. I suppose you're old enough to make your own decisions, but that..." Again, he shook his head, but this was in disgust. Maybe not disgust. Something a little... less. "It devastated him. He wanted you to himself, even if that meant taking away the thing that made you happiest. That meant that all of you could be his."

"Why are you telling me all this?" I must admit, though the words wer not unwelcome, they did confuse me.

"Because I want you to think before you go running off. I've seen this look in your eyes before, in Ichiru. Part of the reason why he's locked away is because he tried to take Mistress Shizuka away. Kaname used to love them both, but they've betrayed him. Until that little incident last night, you were the only one he loves who _hasn't_betrayed him. I was hoping you wouldn't because he puts the rest of us through Hell, like when he killed Aidou and made us clean up the mess." There was a long silence before he could meet my eyes again, and I felt the power behind the ice. "I want you to know that the reason Ichiru is being punished is his own fault. If you help him, it would be like breaking a criminal from jail. I'll lose all respect for you, and even worse, Kaname may not be very happy about it. Do not cross him, Zero Kiryuu. You've been warned."

And with that, he just... walked away... like nothing had happened between us. I was scared now. Enough to go back to my room and lay in my bed, wishing for a sleep that would never come.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Ahhh... **LuanRina**. If I have time to update for no one else, I do for you. I always look forward to reading your reviews, because they're the sort of driving material that every writer needs to continue on. You always tell me what you like, what you'd like to see happen, and I appreciate that to no end. So far in ATWK, you've reviewed every chapter, as well as every chapter in the prequel, _Two Heartbeats and the Red Sin_. You've been dedicated since the beginning. So, this chapter goes out to you.

I also appreciate the dedication of **Irmina** and **Ben4Kevin**, who have also been reviewing since the beginning. I thank **ForeverLoveless00** for being the first to review, and everyone else who's read, favourited, and alerted!

Now let's talk about this chapter, shall we?

xXXx

**And Then We Kiss  
Chapter Six**

"What's wrong Zero? You don't seem like your usual self tonight." Kaname moved his ivory knight to take my ebony bishop — after that one time, Kaname had claimed that the black pieces would always be mine when we played, no matter what. That was okay with me; I played better with the black pieces anyway.

I looked up at him, then back down at the board, rubbing my side nervously as I swept the board with my eyes. That same bishop that he'd taken was the same one he'd used on me four years ago, and I know because he'd used it on me several times after that, and the finish had begun to wear off. He'd made reference to me as that bishop once as he took it; it had only been a few days ago. _"See this bishop, Zero? This is you. The third most important piece in the game, you are below the King and Queen, but above the Knights, Rooks, and Pawns."_ I remember him pausing and holding up one of the pawns. _"Your brother, Ichiru is a pawn; nothing more than a piece expendable to me as there are so many just like it on the board. You're a bishop because I can't afford to lose you even though you only perform one specific function and really only benefit me once in a little while."_ I asked him who the other bishop was, and he told me it was irrelevent, but... _"If you must know, it's Takuma. And just to answer the rest of your questions, the knights would have to be Yagari and Kaito, and the pawns are everyone else."_ But why were they knights? What function did the knight play? _"They're difficult to use because of the L-shape they move in. Occassionally there's no other piece that can do the job, some of the time they're actually useful. Mostly they're only double-edged swords. Having them here only brings the enemy closer."_ The enemy, I assumed were the Vampire Hunters, and yes... I suppose that was true. I'd never looked at that way before, so I had to admit I was taken aback by that sudden outburst... if you could really call it that. It had been random and a little startling; mostly it just told me exactly how intelligent and thoughtful Kaname really was.

"I was just thinking about Ichiru." It was dangerous ground to tread on, but it was the truth. I couldn't lie to Kaname. There was no point, really; whenever I lied to him, he saw right through it and told me so. Apparently my lying skills, which worked on everyone else when I had need of them, were useless with Kaname. But that's just the way it was, and it kept us very open with eachother. At least... I was open with him. Still, he had no reason _not_ to tell me things when he had already admitted to trusting me more than his own wife. Of course he would. I'd never betrayed him until the night before, so there was no reason to distrust me.

"Were you? Hm. And what exactly were you thinking, Zero?"

"I was just wondering how he is."

There was a short pause and I didn't look up to see where Kaname had moved the piece that he'd been fingering previously. I recognized the sound of the felted bottoms of two pieces sliding against the cherrywood and oak veneer, and knew he'd taken one of my pieces. He didn't say anything for a long time and I felt my chest tighten. What if he knew what I'd done, or what I was planning? What then? Would he kill Ichiru? Would he kill me? I clasped my hands under the table and stared at the board, pretending like I was searching for a move. I took a breath and was about to say something to correct the situation, but he finally spoke and it relieved me greatly. "Ichiru is well. He asks about you often, and I can also assure you that he's neither harmed nor unhealthy."

It struck me. He was lying, and he'd done it so easily. I felt torn inside, almost heartbroken. It occurred to me that if he could lie about this right to my face, then he could do the same with any and everything else. But I tried not to show how I felt so as not to give rise to any suspicions he might have. "That's good."

"He talks about you often." I looked up at him, not sure whether this was true or not. But before I could gather a single comprehensible thought, he continued. "He asks after your wellness. I've told him that you're perfectly happy and quite content... unless there's something wrong with that."

"No. It's perfectly fine."

"Good."

I looked up at him and he was frowning. Definitely a bad sign. I breathed a heavy sigh and looked up at the clock, mostly to keep from staring at Kaname, but I realized that it was nearly time for lunch. I informed him of this, he nodded, rose, and excused himself. I was left alone in his room, staring at the chess board blankly, my mind completely empty. I couldn't tell whether or not I was breathing, or if I was even awake at that point... not until another presence entered the room and I looked up. Yuuki had entered with an armload of sheets for Kaname's bed which she had earlier stripped to wash the bedding. I rose to help her, taking her by surprise. A flurry of sheets and pillowcases were scattered on the floor around the bed, and Yuuki stood there trembling, staring up at me like she'd seen a ghost.

"...Are you okay?" I asked her, and with a long sigh, she relaxed, punching me in the shoulder as hard as was possible for her.

"I'm fine; don't scare me like that!" She harped at me for being silent for a few minutes, told me she didn't need my help, and then shooed me off out of the room. I didn't know where I should go to wait out the rest of the night until Kaname called for my presence again, and told her so. She just stared at me for a moment before reaching up and tracing her fingers down the side of my face. "You haven't been getting much sleep lately, have you? Why don't you take a nap?"

It sounded as good an idea as any, and I began to make my way through the palace toward my own room. It was scary how I had awoken the other day in the middle of a snowstorm with no idea where I was or what was going on, false memories clouding my mind and skewing my vision... Now, they were beginning to fade off and I was beginning to remember things that I had previously forgotten. Some of them stuck and held fast, like the memories of Kaname being my lover, and of Yuuki's death. Things that didn't make any sense... Things that couldn't possibly be true. I was whirlled away by my thoughts, not paying attention to where I was headed, and by the time I found myself in the entrance hall, I also realized that I was being followed. How had I missed it? I was Human now, and it seemed that a lot of my natural Hunter abilities were either supressed or removed entirely, and this was the obvious proof. I turned to come face-to-face with someone who seemed vaguely familiar, and when it hit me I actually stumbled back a few steps. "Kaito?"

"If you want to know the truth, come with me." He turned and began to walk away, down the stairs and toward the kitchen. Not knowing what else to do, I followed him blindly through the house and wondering all the while where he was taking me. For all I knew this was a set up and at the end was Kaname waiting to kill me for attempting to betray him again. But was I really? I just wanted to know the truth. The truth about what? That I wasn't even certain of. So why was I following him? It didn't make sense to me, but I felt like I... like I _had to_. Like there was some force compelling me to go with him that I wasn't strong enough to fight. I felt like I... like I had no choice. And really, I didn't. I tried to turn away once, but he called out to me and my body immediately answered to him. It was strange... The feeling was like a tingling all over me, like dust settling on my skin, like a thousand butterflies taking off where I was their perch... and then it repeated. Like being gently squeezed. It continued like this until we'd come to a large greenhouse and I was pushed in by that feeling, the doors closing behind me automatically. I turned, feeling more trapped than ever and just stared as I felt the colour drain from my body. "Don't freak out, Zero. It's to keep the heat in."

Now that I thought about it, it _was_ rather warm and self-closing doors would be a useful touch if you found yourself too busy to do it yourself.

"What's going on, Kaito? I just want—"

"Alright, alright. No need to be so pushy." His smirk was rather irritating but that didn't seem too out of place. I turned to look at him and found him pruning a rose bush with a pair of hand trimmers, cutting a white rose close to the branch and holding it out for me to take. I did, tentatively. "Give this to Ichiru for me, okay?"

"But what about—"

"If you don't stop acting the way you are, Kaname's going to kill you." It hit me hard and I sat on the nearest overturned bucket to catch my breath. Kaname loved me. He wouldn't kill me. He wouldn't. "He talks to me all the time. He rather enjoys spending his time here with me; so you should know I'm not lying. He thinks that you've finally snapped under the pressure of having Ichiru taken away from you and he _is_ sorry for that loss... After all, he's trained you so well. I also happen to know that you're planning to run away with Lady Shizuka and your brother. If you're going to do it, tonight is the only night that you will have even a fleeting chance. If you time it perfectly you can escape forever. _If_ you time it perfectly." There was a long silence where I had nothing to say — I couldn't even form a proper thought. I was too — dare I say it? — scared to think straight. What was even going on? Everything had almost been normal and then... and then _this_.

But I had made my decision, and when I had gathered myself, I was instantly off to find Shizuka, regardless of the time of night. We were getting out of there. Tonight.


	7. Chapter 7

**And Then We Kiss  
Chapter Seven**

I found Shizuka in her sitting room with her tea and a small cake, while she read over something that made her hands shake. I wasn't sure what it was, but she put it down before I could get the chance to read it. She could hear me as I stalked silently across the room and it had been something that I hadn't anticipated as roiled with focus and energy as I was. Before I could get a chance to speak, she'd forced a sandwhch into my hands and told me to sit, pouring me a cup of tea. I was taken aback by all this, closed my mouth and said nothing despite the silence of the room as Shizuka lifted her teacup to her mouth and sipped gently. After a moment she replaced the cup and saucer on the round table at her side and turned to look up at me intensely. "Zero, I know what you're thinking. No, I can't allow it."

"Yes, you can. Mistress Shizu—"

"If Kaname ever catches you, we'll all be killed. You realize that, right?" She never broke eye contact and the emotion made me tense up. What was wrong? Whatever was in this letter? I looked down at it, and her eyes followed mine. I knew she knew what I was thinking, and she took the letter, casting it into the fire. "It was nothing. None of your business. Now... How do you plan on retrieving Ichiru and running away with him?"

What an odd question... "You have the key, right? I need it. I'll just take Ichiru and go, right now while Kaname's asleep."

"I don't have it."

My heart stopped for an instant, and I just stared at her, dumbfounded. "What do you mean _you don't have it_?" There was something roiling inside me and I stood abruptly, slamming my hands on the table. "This is my brother's life in danger, and you _don't have the key_?" Shizuka just stared at me with an even gaze, lifted her teacup to her lips and sipped quietly, setting the cup and saucer back down noiselessly after what seemed like eternity. Didn't she understand the urgency here? Didn't she realize that if I didn't take Ichiru away tonight... I would never have another chance? "Please, Mistress... I want you to come with us."

"Tell me, Zero. That's such a lovely rose; who might it be for?"

I stared at the flower whose stem was being crushed by my shaking fist and I growled. She was changing the subject; it obviously wasn't reaching her brain at all. "It doesn't matter! What about—"

"Forget about it Zero, because it will never work. You're better off staying the way things are now. Ichiru may be a little worse for wear up there, and Kaname is perhaps a little hard on him, but he's safe. _You're_ safe. You need to stop thinking about others and starting thinking about yourself again. After all," She lifted the teacup to her lips one more time. "What was it...? Ah. Dear Hanabusa. You forced him to take the fall for you; you told Kaname he was the one that... oh, whatever it was. You're the one who did it, aren't you, Zero?"

I was struck by this. "What! Sure I hated him, but I would never..." No... wait... There was something... _forming_ in my memory. Setting up Aidou so that Kaname would... so that Kaname would kill him. But that didn't feel like something I would do even if I _had_ hated Aidou with my entire being, so I was left to stand there just... puzzling away. Why would I do something like that? Jealousy? Spite? Something seemed out of place here, but I wasn't quite sure what, and I really didn't have time to think about it. I had to find out how to get Ichiru out of here, even if Shizuka wouldn't come with me. I had to do _something._ "Okay... maybe I did, but... Forget about that. Tell me where to find the key."

Her lips turned up in a small smile. "Zero, where would you find _anything_ you need or want in this manor?"

Kaname's room.

I tore out of the room at a fast walk, trying not to look too suspicious as I watched the day fade away beyond the window panes, and I made my way to Kaname's suite, up through the back, and into his bed chamber where he lay half naked in his bed with the blackout curtains drawn. I had to pause to stare at him while my heart pounded — he lay on his back, the back of his hand placed delicately on his forehead and his full lips so slightly parted. I could hear his breath, soft and even, and I knew that he wouldn't be awakening for at least a half hour at this rate. When he turned on his side, he was preparing to wake, and from there he would turn over on his stomach in most cases. There was the occassion I'd seen him wake up on his side, but he was usually unconciously particular about how he slept and how he woke up. He was predictable when he slept, and I loved that; it meant that I knew exactly how much time I had before I had to leave the room. Going through his things for that key wouldn't take a half hour at all; I knew where he kept everything that he didn't want anyone finding. And eventually I came down to the last place in the room, and felt a hand on my shoulder. I knew the feeling of that hand, and it made my blood run cold.

"Zero, what are you looking for?" Something tapped against my back and I turned to see that the key was tied to Kaname's wrist. Blood red eyes met my pale face and then the drawer I'd been looking through where he kept a stash of aromatic massage oils, and even though the look on my face purely said I was up to something, he laughed and then leaned in to kiss me. "I'm sorry, did I ruin the surprise? I'll go back to bed and wait." Everything in my body screamed as he retreated and I wanted to collapse, but he turned in the doorway and looked back at me. "That is... unless you don't want to wait."

I couldn't say anything, couldn't move, but I shook my head. I'd meant that I didn't want it at all because I wanted the key on his wrist... not that I was about to tell him so. But he took that response as my impatience, and smirked, coming back to stand infront of me, leaning over to nip along my jaw and make his way to my ear. "My, Zero... so forward tonight. Such a welcome change." He slipped his hands under my sweater, running ice cold hands up my hot torso and I shivered under the touch, naturally eliciting reactions I hadn't been counting on. My eyebrows came together, I closed my eyes. I'd messed up. I'd royally fucked up and now I wouldn't have the chance to save Ichiru. And there was the key, brushing back and forth against my skin to remind me of this. What a failure I was. Not that Kaname knew that... It was the first time I was thankful that we were sans Blood Bond because the _last_ thing I needed right now was for Kaname to know what I was thinking about. Or that some part of me wanted his hands to go lower. I leaned back against the chest of drawers, looking down at the stash of oils and Kaname's eyes followed mine; he reached in for one of the small bottles, pulling out one that was Dogwood and Chamomile scented at random. My breath hitched in my throat — it was my favourite next to the sweet spice of the Vanilla Cinnimon Peppermint, and the tart Rosehip and Lemongrass. I heard the cap pop off, his right hand joined his left and before I knew it, the oil was on my skin being warmed by my body. Kaname watched as I swallowed hard, leaned back as far as I could and then sighed involuntarily. He pulled my shirt up over my head and his teeth found my collarbone where he bit down without breaking the skin, nibbling his way up my neck and I shivered; his hands worked my body below, one of them pausing to push the button on my pants from its catch and pull the zipper down. He pushed my pants off, I complied as I knew I should by stepping out of them, but I didn't want to be here now... Of course, my member betrayed that thought by already being halfway to hardness.

Before I knew it, his hands had travelled back up my sides and his thumbs were brushing over my nipples, back and forth, rolling them, sending tingles down my spine and directly to my groin. He scraped his teeth along the shell of my ear, then flicked his tongue out to toy with my earlobe, eventually sucking it into his mouth, nibbling on it playfully, eliciting a soft moan, and it made him smirk. One hand moved down to stroke and fondle my cock, his mouth taking its place at my chest and everything he did made my body feel like it was on fire. I was so close to the edge that I could taste it, and I began to whimper. "Ka...kaname... Slow down..." His grip tightened. He was on his knees. I moaned in the anticipation of the rare sensation — his lips and tongue on my organ, a hot, wet, tightness that I didn't often have the pleasure of feeling — but instead he went to the wound on my side and went to work nursing it, licking and nibbling the slightly reddened area. I moaned out loudly, my knees buckling, and the only thing that held me up was that chest of drawers. So much for the massage because clearly Kaname had other ideas. He listened to the sounds I made, and I could tell that they were turning him on because he allowed a soft moan of his own to escape, and he was salivating by the time he'd licked, sucked, and bitten his way back to my cock, leaving a trail of sparks in his wake. I gasped out once again as he sucked on the base, his fangs scraping along the sensitive flesh, and I was panting by the time he'd trailed his tongue back up to the tip, running it along the slit to gather all the precum that had begun to leak out.

Catching my eyes as my cheeks flushed an unattractive red brought on by the denial, Kaname worked his way back up my body to kiss me, prying my mouth open with his to gain entrance rather effectively. He wanted me to taste myself. I wasn't bothered by this, it had happened a few times before, and besides that one of Kaname's biggest turn-ons was watching me trail my fingers through the sticky mess left behind afterward, sucking each digit off slowly. After that he was usually ready for round two... or three... or four... I hoped that wasn't going to be what this was. A marathon of intense pleasure, spanning until both of us were completely spent.

After a moment, Kaname pulled away from me, kissed the corner of my mouth, and then lead me back to the bed chamber, tugging me along by my elbow. "I don't know what you were looking for, Zero, but you're being rather suspicious." I didn't see how, but I knew I'd better not say anything, or risk punishment. Reaching the bedside, I was pushed down on my back and Kaname climbed on top of me, pressing our lips briefly. "I know you were up to see Ichiru, Zero. Don't try to hide it."

My eye dropped—why did they drop like that?—and Kaname caught this. "He's my brother."

"You lied to me." On cue, my whole body went cold. Trapped underneath Kaname like this, no escape, and it had come back on me again. I should've known better by then, but I guess my mind was so scattered that it just... didn't occur to me that Kaname was the smarter and more powerful one. It's kind of funny to think that... I had almost never seen Kaname as any different from me, even with all the obvious differences. I had always felt equal to him... He'd always _made_ me feel equal to him. "If you're unhappy, tell me so, Zero. It hurts me that you don't tell me things."

I didn't know what to tell him, but the sigh that escaped without my permission was enough. Kaname kissed me gently, my forehead, my lips, my neck... He took the sensitive flesh there and sucked gently, blowing cool air over it after a moment of warming the spot. The area tingled lightly, and Kaname pulled back just far enough to watch my eyes. "Do you like it?"

"What a stupid question," I retorted, and it made Kaname frown. He wasn't going to repeat himself, but he wasn't going to continue either, so I looked away, a dusting of pink on my pale white cheeks. "I like it."

He moved on from there, pushing my shirt up to brush his thumb over one of my nipples while he lavished affections on the other with his highly expert mouth. He kept going for a while, until a soft sound resonated within me. He pulled back, caught my eyes again and asked me, "Do you like it?"

I was a little irritated—I hadn't come here for one of Kaname's lectures or so he could make some convoluted point to me. But I answered anyway, "I like it."

He went back to what he was doing, his hand snaking down to that wound on my side. I instantly tensed, because I thought I knew what he was going to do. But the pain he brought just by tracing over it wasn't unpleasant, actually. His hands were like sparks on my skin and I let out a groan. I felt Kaname's words against my skin this time. "Do you like it?"

Before I could answer, he'd moved all the way down and took my head in his mouth, running his tongue over the highly sensitive flesh. Instead of being able to answer, I gasped and moaned out loud, the words that I'd wanted only him to hear: "I like it."

But this was Kaname, and when he had a point to make, he made it. All at once, his hand gripped down on my wound and he'd pulled his mouth away so there was nothing to balance out the intense stinging I was feeling. This time when I gasped and groaned, it was in pain. "Now tell me if you like it."

"Aaah, fuck! Kaname, stop! I don't fucking like it!" I was trying to wiggle myself out from under him, but he held me with one hand flat against my chest. After a moment he relented, sitting up completely and moving away.

"From now on, you'll remember that."

Somehow, Kaname managed to stay in the mood, and when he continued, he was much gentler, softer... It was so strange for him and I almost couldn't believe it. When he kissed me, it was deep and full of so much feeling... I kept thinking back to what Touga had said, about how happy Kaname was when I told him I loved him. I felt this incredible pang of guilt and leaving seemed like the wrong thing to do. But... as soon as Kaname had tired himself out once again, I still took the key from his wrist, covered him up and left, without even so much as a kiss on the forehead. Yes, I loved him dearly, but blood is thicker than water, and I wouldn't allow Kaname to hurt my brother any longer. That just wasn't the kind of person I was.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Hey there everyone! Kahne-chan here~ Almost forgot how to spell my own name there for a second. HEY! Y'all like my new moustache~?

So, first off, a magical thing has happened. I...

I... am...

Not pregnant. No, that would be way too happy. v v

I'm on Twitter. So if you want to catch me there, I always answer all my tweets, so go ahead and talk to me; I love, love, _love_ hearing from my fans. And that is Kveria, to get ahold of me.

Let's talk about the series as a whole this time, not because this is the last chapter, but because I wanted to clear a point; not that I feel it isn't being made, but I just... I know, I know. You want to get to Chapter Eight and you don't care what I have to say. Well, skip over this if must. I don't really care if you care about what I have to say. I know **LuanRina**__does. She's a darling. I love her. I love her reviews. All y'all better thank her because there probably wouldn't be a story without her support. Every chapter she's reviewed. I know I already said that once, but oh well.

So, this story... there was something I wanted to say, but do you think I can remember? Nope. I'll write another note at the end maybe if I remember.

Also, before I forget...

The following program contains scenes of violence which may be offensive to some viewers. Viewer discresion is advised.

Always wanted to say that. :D

ONWARD!

**xXXx**

**And Then We Kiss  
Chapter Eight**

It had taken me only about ten minutes to get from Kaname's room to Ichiru's tower, and those who saw me knew that something was obviously wrong. They all talked like I couldn't hear, stared like I couldn't see; I heard and saw everything, and I just didn't care. In my hand was the key to the survival of my brother and I, the key to having our lives back... To forgetting all the mysteries of Kuran Manor and my warped memories of this place and these people. Ichiru was a constant, he was stability, and I wanted— no, _needed_ that. I couldn't sense that something might be wrong when I entered the tower and felt the ice cold draft hit my whole body like a ton of bricks. I couldn't sense anything but the scorn of the other servants, who were all below me as I pushed on ahead, up the spiralling stone stairs. It was still bright, but the sun's corona was touching the horizon now—soon this would all be for nothing. I couldn't let that happen! If I were caught now, what would happen to me? To Ichiru? I let my mind wander, the fear making my heart pump faster and faster with my ragged breath. I was out of shape. Wonderful. I wished I'd known that before. But I had made it, and that was relieving—I bent at the waist to breathe hard, catching my wind as I tried to gasp out his name. "Ichiru! Ichiru! I got it... the key, I got the key!"

On cue, he came running to the door and grabbed onto the bars in the small window. "You've got it? We're going _now_? Zero, wait. No. I have to ask you something first." I was already trying to jam the key into the lock and reef the door open at the same time when he said this, and it stunned me. I froze and looked up, our eyes meeting for a moment before he looked away. "So is it true?"

"What? Is what true?" I had no idea what he was talking about; naturally I assumed he meant that we were running away together. "Of course it's true! We're going to go right now. We can take a couple horses from the stable and just... _go_. I tried to get Shizuka to come with us, but she refused, if that's your problem; it doesn't really matter to me though, so—"

"Not that." I watched his whole persona shrink away, and he withdrew from the bars, leaning against the wall next to the door. He seemed... defeated, down-trodden, _sad_... What was the matter? I wondered if I'd said or done anything, but nothing came to mind. Maybe it was Shizuka? But Ichiru had been so happy when we talked about leaving together just the other day... "Was it you, Zero? Tell me the truth. If... if you do, I'll forgive you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You set up Hanabusa, didn't you? So that Master would kill him."

I was about to tell him that I wouldn't even if I hated Aidou's stupid guts, but something swilled in my memory like a dark red wine, and there was the picture, clear as day. I frowned hard. That didn't seem like me at all. I pushed at it, trying to see where these thoughts would have come from, and before long it was clear. Yes... I'd come into the bed chamber on what was supposed to be the anniversary of my arrival at the house so many years ago—Kaname and I were going to have dinner together, play chess, and then have some fun that night, like always... spending the time together. But that was the thing about having a partner, was that I had to share, especially when I didn't want to. In a rage, I later stole several of Kaname's personal and valuable items, hiding them in various locations around Aidou's bedroom, the most emotional expensive of the bunch—a photograph of Kaname with his parents—was suffed into Aidou's shower bag, the entire frame destroyed. When Kaname found out, he hadn't waited for an answer to his questions. It was obvious that Aidou had stolen from him, and had, worse, desecrated his beloved photograph. The beheading was an instant death, and I remembered getting a small bit of blood on my shirt where I stood next to Kaname at the top of the stairs watching everyone else clean up. No... I thought I'd helped... but I'd stood there with Kaname's arm around my waist as he whispered into my ear, _"I know, Zero. You're the last loyal servant to me. Don't ever become Aidou."_ Inside, I was estatic, jumping for joy because... Kaname belonged only to me, now... and that was all that mattered. Being exclusive to Kaname.

"Y-yeah... I guess I did..." Being hit like that... took my breath away. "But you don't understand. I'm in love with Kaname; I want his eyes to be only for me, Ichiru. Just me. Not you... or anyone else..." Oh no.

Ichiru paused about the same time that I did and we were still like that for at least an eternity. "So... you set me up too...?"

"Yes." What a fucking stupid answer. I scrambled to be able to explain myself to him; I didn't expect him to understand, but I was hoping... I could forgive myself. "It's just... Ichiru, he made love to you! He was so sweet to you, and I wanted that. Even when I told you it was okay, it was because I didn't want you to worry about me, and... He loves you too, Ichiru. He does. That's why he didn't kill you, right? I guess it doesn't matter. We're both dead now."

"I already said I'd forgive you, big brother. Okay? Let's go."

I turned the key, a little more focused this time, opening the door to allow Ichiru to step out. He didn't look any better than the last time I saw him, but that didn't matter now. I grabbed his hand, wordlessly, dragging him down the stairs and out the nearest back exit. The sun had barely moved, but the progression was enough. Kaname would soon awaken, notice the key missing, and realize what I'd done. He'd never forgive me for betraying him this time. Never. My heart was pounding and I could hear it in my ears, loud and clear. I couldn't even wait to properly prepare the horse I'd chosen; we ran a dandy brush over their backs, tightened the saddles on as much as we could, then threw the bridles on without taking care to place their forelocks under the browbands or straighten the cheekpieces so that the nosebands sat straight. Now, we had to keep our horses quite and walking quickly so we could get around to the front of the mansion: the only way to escape. If I'd really thought about it, I might have realized that the grounds were set up this way so that anyone who escaped had to do it out the front entrance, but I was too focused on just escaping to think. I was too focused on leading a horse that was obviously getting upset about something, and too focused on watching my younger brother behind me to make sure he was going to be okay.

We came around to the entrance and were preparing to mount... we'd wasted too much time.

"Zero, what is this?"

Startled, I looked up to see Kaname standing on the step, still half-dressed in his nightclothes. Ichiru had already mounted and was giving Kaname a look of pure fear; he shook enough to unnerve his horse who began shifting his weight and pawing the ground, waiting anxiously for a clear signal to run from Ichiru who was completely frozen. I could see why. Pooling at Kaname's feet was a sort of darkness, that even shook Lady Shizuka, who was wrapped around his right arm. We could've taken off at that point, but there was no reason. I recognized that darkness as Kaname summoning his power, and I knew that there was no way we were going to make it now. Not both of us... No. Maybe I could still save Ichiru... I touched his leg once, and he glanced down at me long enough to see my hand come back and then strike his horse on the flank. The horse, startled, jumped back on his haunches, front hooves barely coming off the ground, and used this momentum to spring forward at a full gallop while Ichiru attempted to regain himself, gathering up the reins to control the horse's head. He was still a good rider after all this time. But good riding skills weren't enough to save him from my stupidity. There was a flash of sorts as I watched the ground torn up with Kaname's pureblood power, and very cleanly, Ichiru's horse along with his body, rode out from underneath his head. There was no dramatic spurt of blood, but his body spasmed for a moment before toppling to the side and being dragged along uselessly, coating the ground in blood as it poured out, foot caught in the stirrup. The horse, scared by this strange thing dangling off it's side, ran wildly, rearing and bucking to try and free himself, but he only ended up dislodging the improperly tightened saddle and it slipped under his barrel, causing him even more stress. he was throwing his head, managed to get the reins tangled in his front legs, and tripped himself, falling on top of my brother's headless corpse and into a puddle of blood. He thrashed about for a moment before he laid still, having tired himself out.

I did nothing but stare in shock. I couldn't do anything else. My entire body felt cold watching this, wishing that I could do something, but I was frozen there. I just barely heard Kaname call my name, more... I felt his Will pulling me toward him, and my legs obeyed his beckoning. I was still stunned, shocked, my throat and mouth were arid as a summer desert. I watched him, glaring down on me and felt instantly guilty. Worse than that was seeing how close to him Shizuka was. Not for long. Stroking her, hair, his hand paused, coming around to touch her face. It was like she knew something was wrong instantly as he did so, and turned to face him. His hand traced from her face, down her whole body with a strange sort of lust in his eye. Only we could've understood.

"You wouldn't kill me, Kaname. Not the woman who carries your heir," she whispered, and even still I heard every word. Why was that? I blamed it on the adreniline.

Kaname gave a half laugh, bringing his hand to her throat. He traced her jugular with his thumb. "_My_ heir? Don't make me laugh. Why would I have any use for Ichiru's seed?" And without giving her a chance to answer, he tore her throat out and threw it to my feet. I was rigid with fear; he had killed them, so what was to become of me? What was he going to do to me? I was shaking and sweating as he came down the front steps toward me, cradling my face just as he had with Shizuka. "Zero... what am I to do with you...?"

"Master..." It was choked out. His hand was on my throat. This was it. I knew I'd fucked up royally, and he was going to kill me. I'd deserved it. I accepted my fate.

**xXXx**

**Son of A/N:** Hello again~

Okay, so originally this story was only supposed to be, what? six chapters long? I think; and it grew into something much more. This has been an emotional roller coaster for dear Zero, full of truths and lies and false/lost memories, and I know it's got a lot of you confused. Well, dearests, that was the sole intention of this fic. To confuse. It wasn't supposed to be clear from the beginning what was going on, or I would've explained it in the first paragraph. Most of the time, I didn't even know what was happening, so it was really fun to just let my imagination go where it wanted to. About halfway through I had to make a timeline, though, so I could focus and get this story actually going somewhere instead of just floating around in space, though I'm sure some of you... Luan... would not have minded in the slightest. Of course, I had the ending planned out in my head all along, so this was all inevitable.

I think... some people might have really mistaken this for Zero being in love with Ichiru and wanting to run away to be with him, but as you can see from this chapter, that really is not the case. His intentions aren't really clear, I guess. Zero says he's in love with Kaname and he doesn't want anyone to compete with him, but then he's running away from Kaname, fearing being killed for it, because Ichiru's being mistreated. That in itself makes little sense. So, who does he care more for? That's pretty much up to speculation based on what comes next in this series. YES. Don't you worry your pretty little heads. I have a ninth chapter and an epilogue on the way, and they will explain everything that I can't tell you here.

Also, I'm thinking about writing another series set in this universe. Yay or Nay?

Thanks to all of you guys for your support and lovely reviews! Don't forget to leave one of your own, even if it just tells me how much I suck. Comments, questions, random fangirl squealing, suggestions: all are welcome. Flames, also welcome, will be used to roast marshmallows.

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